Cost of living comparison
Laos is 2.1 times more expensive than Malawi.
If you lived in Laos instead of Malawi, you would:
pay 25.4% less for restaurants
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.34
MWK7,515.54
|
$1.85
LAK40,575
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.11
MWK15,769.92
|
$4.45
LAK97,473
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.87
MWK1,514.98
|
$0.78
LAK17,023
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.43
MWK752.81
|
$0.51
LAK11,246
|
|
pay 27.5% more for groceries
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.37
MWK2,371.50
|
$1.02
LAK22,295
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.82
MWK8,355.83
|
$14.08
LAK308,600
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.53
MWK7,839.65
|
$6.60
LAK144,656
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.31
MWK4,003.91
|
$2.10
LAK46,058
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.93
MWK3,350.23
|
$2.11
LAK46,159
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.04
MWK1,798.10
|
$0.90
LAK19,817
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.81
MWK1,408.35
|
$0.75
LAK16,512
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.13
MWK1,950.73
|
$0.98
LAK21,379
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
MWK915.84
|
$1.31
LAK28,711
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.72
MWK1,250.01
|
$0.71
LAK15,591
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,019.00
|
$0.46
LAK10,087
|
|
pay 3.5 times more for transportation
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.21
MWK10,752.39
|
$4.65
LAK102,018
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,484.90
|
$50.97
LAK1,117,340
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,910.51
MWK62,191,129.69
|
$28,928.24
LAK634,119,696
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.54
MWK35,572.58
|
$14.15
LAK310,220
|
|
pay 3.7 times more for housing
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$187.17
MWK324,153.32
|
$10.22
LAK223,954
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$203.55
MWK352,522.16
|
$1,007.60
LAK22,087,061
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$99.20
MWK171,802.34
|
$818.32
LAK17,937,925
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$41.38
MWK71,670.63
|
$65.45
LAK1,434,602
|
|
pay 3.6 times more for childcare
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$361.94
MWK626,821.33
|
$342.92
LAK7,516,910
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$1,469.79
MWK2,545,440.96
|
$9,300.83
LAK203,878,187
|
|
pay 12.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.12
MWK1,945.46
|
$1.15
LAK25,177
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.92
MWK5,060.04
|
$1.68
LAK36,862
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,747.62
|
$1.82
LAK39,939
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.53
MWK89,243.99
|
$51.00
LAK1,117,900
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,841.72
|
$2.49
LAK54,610
|
|
pay 29.0% more for clothing
|
Malawi
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.53
MWK78,850.51
|
$81.96
LAK1,796,545
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.18
MWK60,925.01
|
$62.33
LAK1,366,228
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$59.57
MWK103,168.72
|
$58.81
LAK1,289,226
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$71.18
MWK123,278.23
|
$42.69
LAK935,866
|
|
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